APPLICATION OF AQUATIC HABITAT IMPROVEMENT TECHNIQUES AT TA-CHIA RIVER IN TAIWAN

With characteristics of river continuum, stream ecosystems have diverse components and environments from upstream channel to estuarine area. Therefore, the habitat requirements and composition of conservative object should be well understood before applying any improvement measure. In this paper, the causes of stream habitat changes were first illustrated with the categories and principles of habitat restoration methods. The structural restoration techniques of fish habitat improvement utilized by the authors or one three-year research project starting at 1990 were then presented. Through the introductions on the project background, planning guidelines, structure design, and ecological evaluation, this paper tried to provide some effective examples of stream restoration practices that ecological expert was invited for cooperation and advising.